What to Ask an Artist Before You Commission
Commissioning is one of the few purchases where you agree to the price before the thing exists. That asks a lot of trust, and the way to earn it on both sides is a good conversation up front.
Here is what I would ask if I were hiring me. I have put the three that matter most at the end.
About the work itself
What will the finished piece actually be, in materials and construction, not just in look. What is the depth and how is it built, because that changes how it hangs and how it reads on the wall.
How will it behave in the room I am describing, particularly with the light I have told you about. Does it need framing, or is the edge finished to hang as it is.
About the process
What are the stages, and where do I see it. How many approval points are there and what exactly am I approving at each one.
What if I want a change after seeing it in progress. How is that handled and what does it do to the timeline.
What is the real lead time from deposit to delivery, and what is your current queue.
About the practical end
Who is responsible for delivery, crating and installation, and is any of it included. What documentation comes with it, meaning certificate of authenticity, provenance record, care instructions and the details I will need for insurance.
What is the deposit structure and when is the balance due.
The three that tell you the most
The first: how do you protect a delivery date. Anyone can quote you a lead time. What you want to know is what sits between the quote and the date, and whether there is any margin in it at all.
The second: what would make you turn this project down. An artist with no answer will take anything, and an artist who takes anything is not thinking about whether it will be good.
The third: what do you need from me to do this well. It flips the whole conversation, and the quality of the answer tells you whether they have done this before. Somebody who has will have a real list.
My answers, since it would be strange not to
I protect a date by building real margin into the schedule rather than quoting my best case, and I have never missed one. Drying and curing are the two stages I will not compress for anybody, and building the room in at the front is exactly how I avoid ever needing to.
What I turn down are projects where the room and the piece are fighting each other, and projects where nobody can tell me who approves the final. Both of those end badly, and it is kinder to say so at the start than to discover it in month three.
And what I need from you is the room, the light, the real constraints, and an honest budget frame, early rather than late. Give me those four and I can do good work for you.
If you would like to start that conversation, commissions begin here, and the first one is just talking.
Warmly,
Dani
